Alcatraz at the movies

March 21, 2013 12:00 PM

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alcatraz-birdmanposter.jpg Photo-4357099.58838 - Times Union

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BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962) - Burt Lancaster netted an Oscar nomination - and Telly Savalas and Thelma Ritter each contended in the supporting categories - for this fictionalized take on real-life violent criminal/amateur ornithologist Robert Stroud. Interestingly, Stroud died in a Missouri hospital prison the year after this was released, the day before JFK's assassination. less

BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962) - Burt Lancaster netted an Oscar nomination - and Telly Savalas and Thelma Ritter each contended in the supporting categories - for this fictionalized take on real-life violent ... more

THE ROCK (1996) - Your standard story about a renegade general (Ed Harris) and his group of U.S. Marines taking over Alcatraz and threatening San Francisco Bay with biological weapons until a chemical weapons specialist (Nicolas Cage) and the only man to have ever escaped from the prison (Sean Connery) team up to stop him. less

THE ROCK (1996) - Your standard story about a renegade general (Ed Harris) and his group of U.S. Marines taking over Alcatraz and threatening San Francisco Bay with biological weapons until a chemical weapons ... more

THE ROCK (1996) - Your standard story about a renegade general (Ed... Photo-4357102.58838 - Times Union

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alcatraz-escapeposter.jpg Photo-4357103.58838 - Times Union

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ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979) - Clint Eastwood teamed up with his frequent collaborator, director Don Siegel, for this possibly true story of the only successfully prison break from the notorious prison in 'Escape from Alcatraz.' Hugely entertaining and wildly underrated. less

ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979) - Clint Eastwood teamed up with his frequent collaborator, director Don Siegel, for this possibly true story of the only successfully prison break from the notorious prison in ... more

AL CAPONE (1959) - After 'On the Waterfront,' 'Oklahoma' and the original TV version of 'Marty,' but before 'Doctor Zhivago,' 'The Pawnbroker' and an Oscar for 'In the Heat of the Night,' Rod Steiger played Alcatraz's most famous resident. less

AL CAPONE (1959) - After 'On the Waterfront,' 'Oklahoma' and the original TV version of 'Marty,' but before 'Doctor Zhivago,' 'The Pawnbroker' and an Oscar for 'In the Heat of the Night,' Rod Steiger played ... more

KING OF ALCATRAZ (1938) - For a prison that claims to have never had a successful escape, Alcatraz sure seems 'leaky' in the movies. Here the newly liberated convict takes over a passenger ship, and two of the ship's crew hatch a plot to overpower him and rescue the passengers. less

KING OF ALCATRAZ (1938) - For a prison that claims to have never had a successful escape, Alcatraz sure seems 'leaky' in the movies. Here the newly liberated convict takes over a passenger ship, and two of the ... more

KING OF ALCATRAZ (1938) - For a prison that claims to have never... Photo-4357112.58838 - Times Union

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alcatraz-murderposter.jpg Photo-4357113.58838 - Times Union

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MURDER IN THE FIRST (1995) - A fictionalized take on a real-life case, this drama casts Kevin Bacon as a prisoner sentenced to solitary confinement in Alcatraz's 'hole' - in reality, the prison's dungeon - for three years because of an escape attempt, where he loses his sanity. After being released back into the general population, he kills the fellow con responsible for the jailbreak's failure and his ensuing murder trail becomes an indictment of Alcatraz's deplorable conditions. less

MURDER IN THE FIRST (1995) - A fictionalized take on a real-life case, this drama casts Kevin Bacon as a prisoner sentenced to solitary confinement in Alcatraz's 'hole' - in reality, the prison's dungeon - for ... more

MURDER IN THE FIRST (1995) - A fictionalized take on a real-life... Photo-4357114.58838 - Times Union

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alcatraz-traintoalcatrazposter.jpg Photo-4357116.58838 - Times Union

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TRAIN TO ALCATRAZ (1948) - Another B-picture, another escape attempt. But this one takes place on the aforementioned train on the the way to Alcatraz.

TRAIN TO ALCATRAZ (1948) - Another B-picture, another escape attempt. But this one takes place on the aforementioned train on the the way to Alcatraz.

TRAIN TO ALCATRAZ (1948) - Another B-picture, another escape... Photo-4357117.58838 - Times Union

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SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ (1942) - Another escape, but this one features convicts who do so because they are afraid of Japanese bombers in the wake of Pearl Harbor. They make it to a lighthouse where they overpower the place's five inhabitants. And wouldn't you know it, the Nazis are also eyeing the island for their spy ring, pitting the convicts' greed against their patriotism. less

SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ (1942) - Another escape, but this one features convicts who do so because they are afraid of Japanese bombers in the wake of Pearl Harbor. They make it to a lighthouse where they ... more

SEVEN MILES FROM ALCATRAZ (1942) - Another escape, but this one... Photo-4357118.58838 - Times Union

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POINT BLANK (1967) - This cult classic crime/revenge film was the first movie to shoot at the now closed Alcatraz. Co-stars Angie Dickinson and Sharon Acker did a fashion shoot for Life magazine against the prison backdrop. less

POINT BLANK (1967) - This cult classic crime/revenge film was the first movie to shoot at the now closed Alcatraz. Co-stars Angie Dickinson and Sharon Acker did a fashion shoot for Life magazine against the ... more

POINT BLANK (1967) - This cult classic crime/revenge film was the... Photo-4357119.58838 - Times Union

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SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER (1993) - Mike Myers' comedy features a side trip to Alcatraz Island, where tour guide 'Vickie' (Phil Hartman), shares 'something the other tour guides won't tell you.'

SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER (1993) - Mike Myers' comedy features a side trip to Alcatraz Island, where tour guide 'Vickie' (Phil Hartman), shares 'something the other tour guides won't tell you.'

SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER (1993) - Mike Myers' comedy... Photo-4357120.58838 - Times Union

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X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006) - In a stunning sequence, head baddie Magneto rips the Golden Gate Bridge off its moorings and diverts it to Alcatraz Island, now the super-secure headquarters for a pharmaceutical company developing a 'cure' for the mutant gene. less

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006) - In a stunning sequence, head baddie Magneto rips the Golden Gate Bridge off its moorings and diverts it to Alcatraz Island, now the super-secure headquarters for a pharmaceutical ... more

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND (2006) - In a stunning sequence, head baddie... Photo-4357121.58838 - Times Union

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THE BOOK OF ELI (2010) - Good to know that even in a post-apocalyptic world, Alcatraz survives. Here it's a home for a band of survivors who welcome the title character (Denzel Washington) after he rows over from the Golden Gate Bridge. less

THE BOOK OF ELI (2010) - Good to know that even in a post-apocalyptic world, Alcatraz survives. Here it's a home for a band of survivors who welcome the title character (Denzel Washington) after he rows over ... more

THE BOOK OF ELI (2010) - Good to know that even in a... Photo-4357122.58838 - Times Union